Corporal Andrew Michaud figured he and at least two other police officers would die once they blasted open a bedroom door with a strip charge and rushed inside, knowing a suicidal hostage-taker with a gun was waiting for them on the other side, aiming to kill his girlfriend and them too.
Michaud is a 㽶Ƶֱbreacher,㽶Ƶֱ in charge of getting fellow Emergency Response Team police into places with lockpickers, chainsaws and explosives in his arsenal. He testified Friday (April 19) during a coroner㽶Ƶֱs inquest into the deaths of Randy Crosson, 48, and Nona McEwan, 45, both killed by police during the March 29, 2019 hostage-taking in the Whalley house she rented. Crosson used her as a human shield, the inquest heard.
㽶ƵֱI just pictured us going in and just getting shot and us just falling like dominoes,㽶Ƶֱ he said, sharing the psychology of the situation.
Coroner Margaret Janzen is presiding over the inquest in Burnaby, at Coroners㽶Ƶֱ Court. It㽶Ƶֱs expected to run for two weeks, with a jury of four women and a man hearing testimony.
The ERT officers took their place outside the small bedroom, with the first in line gripping a shield.
㽶ƵֱThere㽶Ƶֱs three times in my career where I㽶Ƶֱve gone through the door and expected to be killed, and this was one of them,㽶Ƶֱ Michaud told the jury. 㽶ƵֱThis is the second. The first time I was not in charge, I was one of the people going through, and it㽶Ƶֱs a very weird feeling that as soon as this door opens I㽶Ƶֱm going to get shot, and do I get killed? I don㽶Ƶֱt know.㽶Ƶֱ
Crosson had already pointed a gun at the armoured vehicle outside and declared: 㽶ƵֱIt㽶Ƶֱs a good day to die,㽶Ƶֱ Michaud recalled. 㽶ƵֱHe wants to kill police, gave me a one-hour timeline. He knew in one hour we were going to make that decision. But now, he decides to say 㽶ƵֱYou have five minutes.㽶Ƶֱ㽶Ƶֱ
㽶ƵֱI don㽶Ƶֱt know what㽶Ƶֱs on the other end of the door,㽶Ƶֱ he said. 㽶ƵֱI don㽶Ƶֱt know what we㽶Ƶֱre going to face inside. What I do know is that we㽶Ƶֱre going to go in 㽶Ƶֱ we㽶Ƶֱre going in under his terms 㽶Ƶֱ he knows in five minutes or less we㽶Ƶֱre going to come through that door and we㽶Ƶֱre going to come at him, and he has a hostage in there.㽶Ƶֱ
㽶ƵֱI said, 㽶ƵֱWell, we㽶Ƶֱre going to take rounds going through this door,㽶Ƶֱ㽶Ƶֱ Michaud said. 㽶ƵֱThe time is ticking.㽶Ƶֱ
The officer with the shield took his position. 㽶ƵֱI said to him, 㽶ƵֱYou㽶Ƶֱre number one.㽶Ƶֱ㽶Ƶֱ
After a lengthy pause, Michaud continued.
㽶ƵֱMe saying that to him, that was my goodbye. You㽶Ƶֱre going to get shot, you㽶Ƶֱre going to get killed. But you㽶Ƶֱre going to take rounds on that shield, you㽶Ƶֱre going to push in, and we㽶Ƶֱre going to get now five feet close.
㽶ƵֱWhen you go down,㽶Ƶֱ he said, remembering looking at the second officer, 㽶Ƶֱyou㽶Ƶֱre number two. You㽶Ƶֱre also going to die. I don㽶Ƶֱt say it.㽶Ƶֱ
After the first cop went down, he anticipated, the second would be 㽶Ƶֱthe fresh guy㽶Ƶֱ pushing forward.
㽶ƵֱI㽶Ƶֱm expecting that he㽶Ƶֱs ready for war,㽶Ƶֱ he said of Crosson.
Michaud said in his mind after number two gets killed, there will be number three and number four and number five. 㽶ƵֱMaybe even number three is going to take rounds, I don㽶Ƶֱt know. But at least, up to that point, I know we㽶Ƶֱll be able to respond.㽶Ƶֱ
㽶ƵֱEverybody on that team was aware of exactly what needed to happen.㽶Ƶֱ
The inquest continues.